I am jumping on the Polar Express and following everyone else out there with a Christmas Wish List of my own. If you are a cutting-it-close kind of person when it comes to Christmas shopping and if you are looking for some great gifts for a chef, cook, or a foodie loved one in your life, look no further.

I love making risotto, my wife loves making risotto. My kids, thankfully, love eating risotto. Don’t be afraid of risotto. All that is required is a little bit of prep and an averagely strong arm ready to stir for approximately 18 minutes, but the result is something very, very special. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth kind of dish that can be a super sexy, impress your date kind of thing, or a family friendly school-night offering.

n this recipe I will explain how to make a pumpkin puree using the thermomix. Enzo, my man in Capri calls this magnificent beast a zucca, which translates to pumpkin. It feels more like a massive butternut squash to me, but I guess it's the same family anyway. This is an awesome side dish alternative to a carrot puree or the mashed potatoes.

My kids need a pick-me-up after school. They don’t snack in school here in France, which is good, and they have long school hours, which is not as good. Plus, I spend a good chunk of each year away from home, so I am a bit of a softy whenever I pick them up. They have tons of after-school activities too, so often the quickest solution is to make a stop at a cafe and load them up with sugar.

This pasta recipe is the one to rule them all, if you ask me. Before I got into this cooking whilst sailing business, I spent nearly three years in Australia. I moved about a bit, from Sydney, to Melbourne, then Adelaide. I fell in love with Australia and its friendly people, but more about that in another (travel) post.

In this post I will explain how to put together a rock solid banana muffin recipe that is both quick and delicious. This is probably the absolute opposite of the healthy banana muffin recipe that I have posted earlier on the site. But that is totally fine, since there is room in life for both.

This is my current boss’s favourite ice cream and the man knows his ice cream. My wife, on the other hand, is not so much into ice cream. Nor is she much into food, really. When I told her my next post is a cookies and cream ice cream recipe she replied she misses Prince. Okay, then.

Right folks, here is my selection of the best all-purpose knives available for you in your kitchen. Wherever your kitchen may be. These knives can do most jobs, you do not need a “set” of knives that are rubbish quality and go blunt in a month. Honestly, don’t go for a wooden block crap; it’s just taking up the valuable real estate on your kitchen counter. You really only need two good knives, a large one and a small one, so, here we go.

My wife could probably live on pasta alone, and my kids are not far behind her. So, when they heard there is a new pasta recipe to test, they were well happy. The kids even more so when they realized that it would be a new shape and that the name translates to little ears.

This is the tomato sauce I use in my galley. A good tomato sauce is one of the building blocks of a good kitchen. It is a base sauce used for many different dishes. I serve it with pasta, rice, meat, fish and vegetables. It is very simple to prepare. All you need is great quality produce and time.

My goodness, this is something. We all need or want ice cream from time to time, even when we are old enough to know not to scream for it. ;-) Anyway, enough with trying to be witty let's go back to this is very simple recipe. Nothing to heat or cook! You don't even need to churn it in an ice cream machine, although I did and it was fantastic. It also stays soft in the freezer - absolute winner.

I make these all the time on the yacht. They freeze well, defrost well and can be heated gently in the microwave or in the oven. What follows is a method of sorts...... more of a feeling really. You've got to find your way with bread, so be prepared for a fair amount of trial and error. It may get frustrating, but the satisfaction of baking your own bread is a serious one.

Most of us want to eat healthy these days, as much as some of us may be getting tired of being told we should eat healthy. At least that's the feeling I am having lately. So, it is cool to have a situation when a healthy dish low-key wins the night. This is what happened earlier this year, when our bank account manager came for dinner.

This is my second favourite pasta dish to eat and make. Second only to spaghettini aglio e olio con peroncini. I actually have a youtube post on that pasta dish, not the recipe, more a method, Have a look. I was a little drunk when I made it.

The wife has told me to immediately give you the ingredients, so that any of you chefs or cooks who stumble across can decide quickly whether it's a yay or a nay, especially when we are talking more complicated dishes. Trust me, this one is a yay, simple and delicious. So, the list and the recipe are right below, you can snap them or jot them down and crack on with your day. I also took photos of the entire process, so you don't have to snap or jot down if you don't feel like it. I hope you enjoy.